Position 11

# Position 11 (skill)

Definition: Position 11 is a foundational body position and a targeting (reference) position. Every competitive stroke extends the arms through it and flows through it — and some strokes briefly pause in it. It is a foundation drill: establish an excellent body position, kick, and arm location, and build the habit of fully extending into Position 11. Position 11 comes AFTER streamline (author ruling): push off in streamline, glide on the surface, then move into Position 11. (Canon R1 anchors: arms extended, hands locked, ears squeezed, eyes on the bottom — see "R1 reconciliation" below; "hands locked" does NOT apply to Position 11.)

Core cues:

1. Keep your arms straight
2. Palms face down. Fingers aim forward.
3. Stay on the surface
4. Drag your Pinocchio nose
5. Strong kick you breath
6. Return to looking down quickly after breath
7. Eyes on the bottom — R1-aligned; same target as "drag your Pinocchio nose."

Hand and arm position (author ruling):

• Arms straight, directly above the shoulders (extended forward / in front of the shoulders).
• Hands are NOT locked. No pressed-together / stacked "lock." Palms face the same direction as the face — i.e., down.
• [STRUCK] The previously proposed cue "Lock your hands" is overruled: hands are not locked in Position 11.
• [STRUCK from Position 11] R1's "hands locked" does not apply here.
• (Still held out, pending ruling) "ears squeezed" reads as a streamline cue — in Position 11 the arms are in front of the shoulders, not beside the ears. Belongs to Streamline.

R1 reconciliation (⚠ R1 revision required):

• R1 (canon) reads: "arms extended, hands locked, ears squeezed, eyes on the bottom."
• Author ruling: "hands locked" does not apply to Position 11. R1 must be revised to drop "hands locked" from the Position 11 definition (and, pending ruling, "ears squeezed"), keeping them only as streamline anchors.
• R1 anchors that survive for Position 11: arms extended, eyes on the bottom.

Coach interpretation:

• Keep your arms straight: The arms should extend forward, or directly "above," or in front of, the shoulders. Elbows should be straight. Keep arms straight even when breathing. Locked elbows, flat palms. (Hands themselves are not locked — see hand and arm position above.)
• Stay on the surface: Position 11 should be done at the surface. Kick to move forward holding the arms in "position 11" (because each arm looks like a 1). Emphasize they should "stay on surface" with a strong kick. Avoid sculling with hands.
• Drag your Pinocchio nose: Aim the entire face down. Breathe quickly by lifting the head up then quickly returning to the balanced face aiming down position.
• Strong kick you breath: Breathing causes the most sinking issues. Reinforce a "strong kick you breath" to keep the swimmer at the surface throughout. Stay at the surface even when you breathe.

Safety (per R6, R7, R14):

• A water-safety check — ratios, reach, visibility — precedes every Position 11 set (R6).
• The face-down breath is a quick head lift, never a held position; never hold a swimmer's head down and never force submersion of a resisting child (R7).
• If a learner will not put the face down, that belongs to the Underwater Progression — do not force it inside this drill. Redirect to play and rebuild trust (R7).
• If fear or resistance appears, step back to the last comfortable step and rebuild trust before advancing — do not restart from the beginning (R15–R18).

Feedback (per R5, R8, R11, R13):

• Give specific, actionable feedback after every attempt (R5, R13).
• Deliver it while the swimmer walks back to the start — do not hold the group for a separate feedback pause (R8).
• Pick one of the three pillars per attempt: arms straight / stay on surface / look down. Cap at 1 acknowledgment + 2 reminders per attempt (R11).

Teaching strategy:

Begin with short distances: bench-to-bench, 5 body lengths, 25s. Add fins to make movement easier. Focus on all three things of an excellent position 11 and aim for excellence. Good position 11 habits lead to excellent swimming. Breathe by lifting the head quickly and then aiming it down again. Swimmers will want to doggy paddle. It is natural for swimmers to bob up and down on surface when beginning. Breathing will interrupt their body position at the surface. It is a good way to constantly reinforce finding a good body balance and posture in the water again after the disruptive "banana" bend to the torso to breathe. Keep swimmers moving: short 5–10 yd attempts, circle swim, walk back (R2).

Common errors and corrections:

• Doggy paddle: Keep arms straight even when breathing. Locked elbows, flat palms.
• Sculling with hands: Avoid sculling with hands.
• Sinking while breathing: Reinforce a "strong kick you breath" to keep the swimmer at the surface throughout. Stay at the surface even when you breathe.
• Looking forward: Aim the entire face down. Drag your Pinocchio nose on the bottom. Return to looking down quickly after breath.
• Hands stacked / pressed together (over-locking): Not required — arms straight, directly above the shoulders, palms down. Hands are not locked in Position 11.

Lesson integration (per R3, R4):

• Activity 1: Bench-to-bench Position 11 glide-kick, walk back.
• Activity 2: 5 body lengths Position 11 with a single quick breath and immediate return to face-down.
• Challenge: "5 kicks in 11 → 1 arm stroke → 5 kicks in 11," scored by how many times the swimmer re-finds Position 11 without doggy-paddling. This is a test of a specific skill, not free play (R4).

Streamline handoff (per R9, R10; author ruling):

• Every push or start begins in streamline; while gliding on the surface, the swimmer moves into Position 11 (R10). Position 11 comes AFTER streamline.
• Named transition: arms travel from an ears-squeeze (streamline) to a straight-ahead 11 — arms straight, directly above the shoulders, palms down.

Progression:

Position 11 is a foundation drill and a targeting/reference position. Every competitive stroke flows through position 11, and some strokes briefly pause in it.

• Front Crawl Arms - Freestyle: Start with body line and posture: Position 11. Build from there. Large slow arms first, then layer in kick, rotation, breathing. Arms should start and end in Position 11. Exaggerate a pause in 11 for beginners; Position 11 for 5 kicks then do 1 front crawl arm stroke, then do it again with other arm. Chip away at the pause as technique improves.
• Backstroke (per R1, R10): Position 11 is the position the arms move through during the entry phase of the arm stroke. Backstroke beginners may push off in soldier position (hands at sides) and progress to streamline on the back (R10).
• Upstream/downstream: Position 11 sits downstream of streamline (and of comfort gliding with the face in the water — see Streamline; Underwater Progression) and upstream of all competitive strokes. Full chain: comfort glide with face in the water → streamline → Position 11 → competitive strokes.

Open items (unruled):

• Whether "ears squeezed" belongs to Position 11 or only to streamline (proposed: strike from Position 11; keep in Streamline). Requires R1 revision.
• Whether "eyes on the bottom" stands as its own cue or folds into "drag your Pinocchio nose."
• Backstroke cue substitutions for a face-up swimmer ("eyes on the bottom" / "drag your Pinocchio nose").
• Stage/age minimum, class ratio, fins required vs. optional, and the definition of "body lengths."
• Editorial revision of R1 (remove "hands locked"; pending "ears squeezed").

Short verified cues (confirmed present; check by eye): "Position 11", "Stay on the surface", "Look down"